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Children's Faith Development

Children's Faith Development

Children's Faith Development

Children's Faith Development

"We are Unitarian Universalists: a people of the open mind, the loving heart, and the helping hands." The children often recite words like these when a chalice is lit to begin religious education time.

Parents and caregivers come to Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations for communities that help raise children to become kind, respectful, fair-minded, caring, and strong enough to side with love and fight for justice. UU religious education and participation in worship, social justice work, and multigenerational gatherings reinforce what parents teach at home. We nurture truth-seeking, spirituality, and progressive moral values that will continue to shape and support our children as they grow.

Children’s programming usually occurs on Sunday mornings. Most congregations have a nursery for babies and toddlers during worship and offer age-specific programs from preschool on up. It is common for UU religious education programs to combine story, song, art, movement, discussion, and play to engage children with many learning styles, abilities, and activity levels. Program content varies; many congregations rely on Tapestry of Faith curricula, offered by the UUA online at no charge.

Understanding Children's Faith Development

Nurturing Children and Youth: A Developmental Guidebook, by Tracey L. Hurd (Toolkit Book), describes the faith journey from early childhood in terms of developmental stages. What sorts of questions do we ask, and what depth of answer do we seek, at different stages? What activities work at different stages to engage children or youth in faith exploration?

Full Circle: Fifteen Ways to Grow Lifelong UUs, by religious educator and lifelong UU Kate Covey, reports on her interviews with 82 men and women ages 25 to 87 who were raised as UUs. She suggests ways for UU congregations to meet the needs of their children and youth for a faith they can keep.

The Gift of Faith: Tending the Spiritual Lives of Children, by Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar, shows how religious community profoundly serves a child’s natural need for spiritual growth and religious grounding. It explores the crucial role of parents as their children's primary religious educators; an accessible, inspiring book.

Welcoming Children in Our UU Congregations

A Child's Book of Blessings and Prayers, collected and introduced by Eliza Blanchard, draws material from around the world to encourage giving, service, and gratitude. It includes words to bless the morning, share at bedtime, honor a birthday, even give thanks for a friend.

What If Nobody Forgave? collected and edited by Colleen M. McDonald brings the seven UU Principles to life in 19 tales with basic messages about truth and right living. Buddha, Jesus, and the Sufi masters of Islam are among the spiritual teachers represented. Each story provides discussion questions, activities and a reading list.

A Lamp in Every Corner, by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer brings UU-inspired stories to children, including stories about historical UUs, UU symbols and rituals, and our Principles.

This book belongs to the Tapestry of Faith Toolkit Series provided by the UUA Faith Development Office. Toolkit Books provide background knowledge, inspiration, and practical guidance to program and lead UU faith development and to help us explore and live our faith in our...

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Call and Response Blog

An old activist friend of mine, Fran Peavey, used to travel the world’s benches in the 1970s and 80s with a simple sign that read, "American Willing to Listen." We’d be looking at a different political landscape now if only more of us had.

Flying home from a recent trip, I couldn’t reach any of my pals for a ride when I landed. Spokane International Airport is so small that the taxi stand can be a lonely spot until you phone a taxi company. But not this time.

How do we help young children grow in faith? The answer can be curriculum, a discussion, or an experience. Whatever conduit we use will only help children grow in spirituality if it engages the heart of the family.

It takes a lot of courage to witness to injustice. Some of our brave colleagues, notably Aisha Hauser and Christina Rivera, have held up a mirror before the UUA and named what they see. I do not think it is necessary for us to agree on what the mirror shows, but I hope we will not shy away from the mirror.